USF Robert Noyce STEM Scholars Program

University Of South Florida, Tampa FL

Investigators

Abstract

The University of South Florida Robert Noyce Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Scholar program prepares STEM professionals, both change-of-career and recent graduates, to teach secondary school mathematics or science in one of the following high needs county-wide school districts in the Tampa Bay area: Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, or Sarasota. Thirty-one Noyce Scholars are participating in a year long Master of Arts in Teaching program designed to prepare them to effectively teach culturally, linguistically, and socio-economically diverse learners. They are participating in a common core of education courses and disciplinary-specific pedagogical courses designed to help them translate their subject matter knowledge into effective practices for teaching and encouraging students in grades 6 - 12 to excel in the areas of mathematics or the sciences. The program offers both course related and non-course related experiences to engage these scholars in a professional learning community and to provide ongoing support throughout the program and during their first two years as classroom teachers.